With Version 10, XTM Goes Mobile and Adds Chat

A translation Project Manager heading to the office at an enterprise or language service provider chats with friends on WhatsApp, streams music on Spotify, and has the option to buy pretty much anything with a couple of clicks on Amazon.

There is no reason why technology people who work in the translation supply chain should not have the same intuitive look and feel as what they use every day. With the release of version 10, XTM goes mobile and adds a messenger, decreasing friction for Project Managers and linguists and making project communication seamless.

Globally, we see mobile penetration increasing exponentially. It has been predicted that, soon, there will be more mobile phones in the world than there are toothbrushes! More importantly, all kinds of communication—from personal to corporate—have shifted to mobile platforms.

The new release of XTM Cloud v10 not only features in-built mobility tools but has also introduced innovations that are going to make life easier throughout the translation supply chain: the interface has been radically refreshed, there are improved collaboration tools for instant messaging and, now, there is an improved quality tracking process integrated into the new platform.

Design Refresh From Ground Up

XTM has transformed the user interface in its latest version. Users will discover the new, revamped XTM Cloud interface, which is now even more intuitive to navigate and has an updated look and feel.

XTM’s interface is not just a design refresh but features some layout changes. The new design is modern and appealing to eye. The screen space is better utilized, while some options have been regrouped or redistributed for better work ergonomics and more intuitive use. Even though placements of some features have changed, they are all in comprehensible reach.

Here are just some of the highlights of the new design.
• Improved project management by displaying only the project information that matters
• Greater contrast and clarity
• Enhanced ergonomics
• Customizable project listing columns

XTM will continue to gradually update the arrangement of other parts of the interface in future versions with customer and user in mind. That means the changes will be there to improve ease of use without causing any confusion or disruption.

Next Level of Quality Control

XTM Cloud v10 features enhanced LQA functionality for quality tracking and better vendor management.

XTM has updated the multidimensional quality metrics (MQM) and improved the LQA (Language Quality Assessment) functionality by adding a new feature to store the LQA results for linguists.

Screen space is better utilized, while some options have been regrouped or redistributed for better work ergonomics and more intuitive use

XTM also has an option to connect with the TAUS Dynamic Quality Framework (DQF), which will help both enterprise users and language service providers achieve greater quality levels through enhanced quality control features based on modern industry standards.

XTM is among the first major language technology providers to integrate this using the TAUS API. The integration means that projects can now be evaluated not only during a separate LQA workflow step but also during Review or Correction (with the MQM error selection options active in the XTM Editor).

It is also possible to perform LQA during the Translate workflow step to evaluate the performance of an MT (machine translation) engine. In case of human output assessment, the results can be saved under the assessed user ratings.

Therefore, version 10 enables users to perform the following tasks:
• Store LQA results against the linguists working on the translation tasks and track their quality performance over time
• Identify and assign the best performing resources to their projects and deliver the results with confidence

Decluttering the PM Inbox

To improve collaboration among users, XTM is introducing an internal messenger. XTM Messenger enhances team collaboration and boosts their productivity with a simple and effective form of communication.

Users can chat live with project managers and other team members, while hiding their identity by using nicknames.

The good news is that it has been set up in a very user-friendly way. No configuration or sign-up is required. Users can shoot immediate answers to questions in a common environment and, as result, there is reduced project e-mail traffic.

The messenger cuts down on Project Manager e-mail overkill

The messenger cuts down on PM e-mail overkill and ensures all project participants are on the same page to ensure linguistic consistency and on-time delivery.

The XTM Messenger was developed in-house from scratch—it is not a third-party software. It has been designed keeping in mind the requirements of translators, linguists, and project managers.

In a nutshell, here is the lowdown on the XTM Cloud v10’s messenger application:
• XTM Messenger was created in-house with calibrated specifications
• The live chat system was developed from scratch
• It allows a PM to talk to linguists
• Linguists can chat together or individually with a PM

Filter to See What Matters

Translation Project Managers typically oversee dozens of projects at the same time. Having no easy way to get a quick overview of a project’s status quickly results in bottlenecks. XTM Cloud v10 addresses this by deploying smart filters.

PMs can now use the advanced search settings and turn them into project filters, which can then be used for quick and convenient filtering: You only see those projects you want to. A few configured project filters can dramatically increase the efficiency of finding the right projects and managing their progress.

Smart filters also play a role in XTM’s mobile app (discussed shortly).

Automated Data Anonymization

A major concern for buyers of translation services is that, often, their data and content are kept secure and confidential. Entire sections of tender specifications and RFPs revolve around the issue of data security. One specific concern has been the treatment of content sent to third-party machine translation providers.

The new data anonymization feature in XTM Cloud v10 now masks important customer data. When segments travel from XTM to third-party machine translation engines, they leave the secure environment of XTM and are governed according to the privacy policy of the machine translation engine provider.

According to XTM, it is probably the only translation management system available that caters to customer data privacy even when it leaves the boundaries of XTM for machine translation. It hides any important data, such as proper names, numeric values, e-mail addresses, and more to ensure customer confidentiality and no data leaks.

The anonymization feature can be used for human workflow steps too. When the translation process is complete and the target document is recomposed, the confidential data is automatically reinserted into the text.

One specific concern has been the treatment of content sent to third-party machine translation providers

Using the new privacy features, users can do the following:
• Identify personal data
• Remove personal data
• Set placeholders to identify and remove data, and put data back in automatically when the translation is done
• Available to date in English, French, German, and Italian

Mobile Project Manager

Mobile is probably one of the most important areas in which the new version of XTM excels. The XTM app is perhaps the first development of its kind in the industry—it has introduced enhanced mobility for Project Managers and is available for both iOS and Android platforms. 

The app allows project managers to instantly access their projects on the move using the smart filters built into the app. PMs can monitor the progress of the projects and assign resources to tasks in the workflow.

A mobile option may also finally spell the end to those long stays on busy Fridays

Additionally, the app provides a list of projects for tracking and allows project managers to assign linguists to workflow steps and start the project. They can also communicate with customers and users. Linguists, on the other hand, will be able to view their tasks.

A mobile Project Manager—think about it. A business development person or sales manager would be delighted to know the PM can now join the occasional client meeting without being cut off from project monitoring. For the Project Manager, having a mobile option may also finally spell the end to those long stays on busy Fridays just because one file is pending or one linguist awaits a particular task.

In summary, the new XTM v10 is revolutionary in many aspects. It ushers the Project Manager into the age of mobile, wraps another layer of protection around customer data, facilitates communication through chat, and does all this in a visually pleasing new user interface.